chain lubes.

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More serious cyclist than Bonj

So what is the difference between Finish line wet, and 3 in 1 oil? I went into my LBS and got some finish line wet a while ago, and he said i should have got some 3 in 1. So what is the difference? I need to get some more soon, so shall i stay with finish line or be cheep and get 3 in 1?

New Member

Legendary Member

I use Finish Line that came free with an order from somewhere or other, car and motorcycle engine oil, 3-in-1, and some unbranded stuff I found in the shed. Whichever is nearest to hand at the time goes on the chain.

A cycle chain is a low tech piece of engineering in the great scheme of things, any oil will do despite the extravegant claims of some of the high priced stuff.

Veteran

I'm a wait till it gets noisy and then put some oil on man, LBS just sold me some dry lube teflon malarky, seems to be splendid so far, mind you the bike's only seven odd weeks old and this would be the first oil its seen since it's first service

Legendary Member

It's a doddle - even without a machine - depending on how keen you are. And of course the mileage you do. And time of year.

Personally, I'll make due simply wiping the chain down every few hundred km with a rag that has a splosh of citrus degreaser on it. Every few months, I'll get the Park Tools machine out and give the chain a more thorough clean. My brother used to like to take the chain off completely and give it a bath in degreaser and clean with an old toothbrush.

I use Finish Line cross country too but I have used 3-in-1. It does the job but probably not for as long.

Über Member

Dunno if bicycle chains should be treated differently but in years of all weather commuting by motorbike I found engine oil applied with your flatmate's toothbrush did the trick to clean and lube bike chains. Common wisdom said to apply it just after getting home from a ride so the chain was warm, helping the oil to penetrate and giving it overnight to get in there and stickify (probably not a scientific term), preventing it from all getting flung off over your wheel rim / tyre / pillion's new boots in the morning.

In the end I gave up and now ride a shaft-drive! I do the same for my bicycle but use the oil more sparingly to prevent any from getting on the rim since this doubles as a braking surface!

New Member

I'm a wait till it gets noisy and then put some oil on man, LBS just sold me some dry lube teflon malarky, seems to be splendid so far, mind you the bike's only seven odd weeks old and this would be the first oil its seen since it's first service

Once a week at least, if you wait 'til it gets noisy then damage is already being done, keep all the drivetrain clean and oiled, prevents problems with bad shifting. Fit a missing link or Sram power link then you can take the chain off easily and give it a thorough clean in white spirit or similar, make sure you dry it completely, a squirt of WD40 then lube with the oil of your choice, run the chain over all the rear cogs, a voila!